'Baby' Matures at The Paper Mill

The 1980's saw many musicals like Baby pass through Broadway for variously brief spins, and we still find them on occasion. These are the small cast, modestly budgeted musicals like Tintypes, Quilters or Romance, Romance that receive respectable, if not glowing, reviews and manage to acquire a small, but loyal following (as well as a few Tony nominations) before shutting down and trying its luck in regional productions, leaving many to wonder if the show was just wasn't big enough for Broadway.

Twenty years ago Baby, now receiving a sparkling new production at The Paper Mill, scratched through seven months on Broadway, overshadowed that season by the Pulitzer winning Sunday in the Park With George, the lavish La Cage aux Folles, the star-powered The Rink and the flashy The Tap Dance Kid, closing shortly after losing its seven Tony nominations. But fans of the show recognized a certain uniqueness to Baby. This was a rare musical that dealt with a topic nearly everyone in the audience either had experienced, will experience or have at least thought about experiencing: parenthood. Or, more specifically, the effect that impending parenthood has on a loving relationship; in this case three couples loosely linked by their residency in the same college town. The youngest pair, students in their 20's, debate the career compromises that must be made because of an unexpected pregnancy. A couple in their 30's, having difficulty conceiving, wonder how the disappointing possibility of never being able to have children biologically may affect their marriage, while another unexpected pregnancy causes a couple in their 40's, who just saw their last grown-up child leave the house, to seriously consider if their relationship has any foundation beyond being parents. Intimate moments are translated into the language of musical theatre in a way that eschews flash and opts for warmth. The laughter and tears induced by Baby, and there are plenty of both, are the laughter and tears of recognition by anyone who has experienced the awkward partnership of coupling.

Sybille Pearson's book, and I mean this in the most positive way imaginable, has the feel of a "very special episode" of whatever your favorite 1980's family sitcom might be. With three pairs of principals sharing equal weight, each story is written in a joke-laden shorthand, with sharp turns to more serious moments. The scenes where non-coupled characters interact may seem contrived, but without them you'd have a musical saturated with solos and duets.

The score by David Shire (music) and Richard Maltby, Jr. (lyrics) was the most universally praised aspect of the Broadway production, but it's one of those scores whose strengths are more noticeable on stage than on a recording. Yes, there's quite a bit of 80's pop and soft rock throughout the evening, especially when it comes to the ballads, but when you see the world these characters live in it makes perfect sense that their emotions are expressed by what they may hear on the local easy listening station. "I Chose Right" may seem no more than a pleasant Billy Joel-ish tune expressing a simple, sincere sentiment, but as part of a scene where a young musician, after accepting a high paying tour playing the type of music he can't stand in order to raise money for his new family, tries to explain to his pregnant girlfriend why he's suddenly compromising his artistic values for the sake of their child, the music and lyrics could not be more legitimately heartwarming. "The Fatherhood Blues", with its occasionally forced rhyming and oddly un-bluesy music, doesn't really soar until you see it performed in the context of guy-talk at a weekend softball game, with middle-aged dads joyously air-guitaring their bats in an improvised celebration. Indeed, most of the score's highest points are the conversational numbers such as "I Want It All" (capitalizing on the popular1980's concept of superwomen easily balancing careers, motherhood and romance) and "The Ladies Singing Their Song", a comic bit where strangers feel compelled to share their child-birthing stories with any visibly pregnant woman who'll listen.

The authors have provided some major revisions to the show for this production, mostly in a second act plot twist involving one of the couples which adds much needed depth to their story. The song "Patterns", cut from the Broadway production but still much admired due to its inclusion on the original cast album, has been restored and fits perfectly into the revised book. The song now leads us into something, rather than just express emotions that are dropped when the music ends. "End of Summer", a new trio for the female principles, adds little dramatically, but gives the second act some much-needed musical variety.

Director/choreographer Mark S. Hoebee weaves a cast filled with notable Broadway names into a charming ensemble. Michael Rupert's tendency towards befuddled innocence allows Carolee Carmello to show the strain of having to be the "grown-up" of the elder couple. Their tenderness and mutual support through marital stress is wonderfully endearing. Norm Lewis and LaChanze, as the couple trying to conceive, are simply the sexiest pair in the tri-state area. And that's without even counting their looks. He of sweet-voiced charisma and she of energetic goofiness, together they are passionate, comical and exceedingly touching. Chad Kimbal builds on his growing reputation as the awkwardly charming boy-next-door with a buoyantly peppy performance, while his counterpart Moeisha McGill excells vocally, strongly finishing the first act with the show's most famous song, "The Story Goes On", a spine-tingling realization of each individual's place in the continuing life cycle. And Lenny Wolpe, who has livened up many a flop Broadway musical in his day in small supporting roles, brings down the house in a one-scene comic turn as a doctor.

With over 15 locations to cover, Michael Anania's set is simple, but attractive, its major piece being a double bed that travels into enough positions to fill the Kama Sutra. F. Mitchell Dana's lighting features some beautifully dramatic moments and Thom Heyer's costumes point out subtle differences made by 20 years of everyday fashions.

Those who have experienced adoption, single parenting, gay parenting or step parenting may complain that Baby presents a world where every child is a product of a loving heterosexual relationship, and perhaps if it were originally written in 2004, Baby would look quite different today. But that shouldn't diminish the value of a bright, positive-minded musical that explores our need to lovingly create something that will remain when we pass on; be it a child, a work of art, or simply a memory.

Baby runs at The Paper Mill through May 9. Visit papermill.org

For Michael Dale's "mad adventures of a straight boy living in a gay world" visit dry2olives.com

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